ROYDENHURST

^ iobel.

bV

HESTER HOPE.

IN THREE V O I. S.

VOL. I.

REMINGTON AND CO

5, Arundel Street, Strand, W.C.

1878.

lAII Rifrhls Reserved.^

8Z3

ROYDENHURST.

CHAPTER I.

"* The Derby dayis over, the race run and won ;

"j that great holidayhas been thoroughlyen-joyed,and is being still discussed in the

sportingworld.

A great deal of money has changedhands

by an unlooked for winner ; numerous are the

4'" perplexingfeelingswhich it has broughtto

some, especiallyto those, who only a few

^ days since considered themselves perfectly^ safe.

A spaciousdining-room,where not only^ luxury and ease bespeak all that wealth can

supply,but also that indescribable something

^VOL. I. B

EOYDENHURST.

which at once tells you that you are in the

presence of aristocracy.

In the portraitsof ancestors which adorn

the walls, some in heavy armour, and others

of softer features in the rich costume of their

day, nobilityis stamped. After taking a

glance round the room to which the reader

is introduced, let us look at the livingoc-cupants,

who seem to have no care as to the

smiles or frowns of those ancestors around

them.

Before a table well covered with viands

are two gentlemen ; one of them is the master

of the house, his age might be between fifty

and sixty,and althoughhis well shaped head

is partlybald, and his hair grey, he is stilla re-markably

fine,handsome man ; at the present

time some annoyance or some perplexityis

absorbinghis mind, as he sits or rather lounges

back in his chair with careless indifference to

the repast before him, but whatever his

trouble may be, his companion does not

EOTDENHUEST.

appear to share in it,judging by tlie activityof his knife and fork, which bespeak a keen

appetiteand appreciationof the good thingsbefore him ; he is a broad shouldered man,

with largeheavy cheeks, and in everything,but with his knife and fork, this family

lawyer,for such he was, was slow " slow in

thought,slow in manner, and in all matters

of business; but now having fortified him-self

within, he was able to discuss the busi-ness

which is perplexing his client, so

clearinghis voice, he said "" A large sum, a very large sum ! I don't

see how the money is to be raised. Sir

Godfrey. Your losses on the turf are most

unfortunate ! "

" Unfortunate ! confound them ! of course

they are ; I don't want to be told that, what

I want you to do, Catchall, is to think what

the deuce is to be done," repliedthe Baronet." Well, you see. Sir Grodfrey,the fact of

the matter is, your heavy losses just now.

4 EOTDENHUEST.

and your son's Oxford debts liave brought

affairs to a crisis ! How are his bills to be

honoured?"

"By Jove !"

angrily exclaimed the

Baronet, " you don't mean to tell me he is

at his old tricks again ? Why I cleared him

off lately."" Mr. Eichard has considerablyoverdrawn

his allowance ; he has entreated me to send

himmoney " and only yesterdayhe "

"

" There, tell him he can't have any," in-terposed

the Baronet, who rose from his seat

and began to pace the room with rapid

strides, while the lawyer silentlywatched

him, then stopping suddenly before the table,

and in somewhat a quietertone said, " Come

Catchall, you lawyers have a way of raising

money on mortgages ; surely something of

that sort can be done ?"

" You forget, Sir Godfrey, the heavy

mortgages already out, the rental of yourestate won't stand, as I will again explain."

EOTDENHURST.

" Pshaw ! " interruptedthe Baronet, " don't

for heaven's sake worry me with details,they

irritate me, surelyyou can suggest a plan"

there," pushing a decanter towards his man

of business, " help yourself,and let us come

to something tangible."The Lawyer helped himself, and bending

forward his head, protruded his heavy lipsto

meet the brimming glass,lest a drop of that

costly wine should be lost ; then having

slowlyrestored his handkerchief to his pocket,

he was able to suggest something." I have been with a client of mine this

morning, who is one of your creditors already.

Sir Godfrey ; I allude to Mr. Fortiswood."

" Well, yes, I know that ; he has plentyof

money, I suppose?"" Yes, Fortiswood is a wealthy man ; he has

hinted to me that he could advance a further

loan ; but on certain conditions. 1 conclude.

Sir Godfrey,you know what those conditions

are?"

6 EOYDENHTJRST.

'' Yes, yes, you mean he has proposed to

marry my daughter ?"

" I do ; he offers not only a further loan

on the mortgages he holds, but to make

liberal settlements. Has he been absolutely

refused ? "

" He has my consent, but what the devil

am I to do if she won't have him ? "

" Perhaps, when the young lady comes to

understand the present condition of your

affairs,and the advantages such a marriagewould be to herself and her family,she maybe induced to change her mind," said the

Lawyer." No, I tell you honestly,Catchall, I fear

not. I don't believe his money will induce

her to accept him; what the fear of her

mother's sorrow, when things come to the

hammer, may do, I can't tell ; let Fortiswood

try his chance again, tell him from me "

'faint heart never won fair lady,' he had

better ride over to-morrow."

ROYDENHURST.

"Well, Sir Godfrey, it won't do to cast

him off absolutelyyet awhile, at all events at

the present crisis."

" But if she obstinatelyrefuses him, what

the deuce, Catchall, are we to do ? "

The Lawyer shrugged his shoulders and

looked thoughtful,then he said very slowly"

'* I fear in that case there is only one thingleft for us to do, Sir Grodfrey."

''What is that?" impatiently asked the

Baronet.

'' Cut off the entail,and sell the reversion

of Roydenhurst. I don't imagine you will

have any trouble in gettingyour son's con-sent,

under his own dij0"culties."

" That is a bold stroke of yours. Catchall,

cut off the entail ! Ah ! " and as he spoke,his

eye rested on the portraitof his wife over the

fireplace; he instantly rose from his chair," Hush," he said,''we won't talk business here,

if you have finished your luncheon, come with

me to my library;" but those beautiful soft

"8 EOTDENHURST.

expressiveeyes, he thought,followed him re-proachfully

to the door. " Cut off the entail !

how will she like that," he murmured to him-self,

as he led the wa}^ to his own sanctum ;

aud there we will leave the gentlemen to talk

over their difficulties,and plot and plan how

to raise money to pay the Baronet's debts on

the turf. Such was one result of the Derby

day.

Eoydenhurst was a fine old Manor, it had

been for many generations in the Culverton

family; when first seen from the road, it

appeared standingon a very high eminence,but the two or three miles of approach were

so gradualin ascent, that you were surprised,

on arriving,to find how much less on a hill

it reallywas ; the house, built of grey granite,had two wings separatedby a grand old hall,the roof of which was vaulted and lofty,and

through the gloomy light from the longnarrow windows, you could only trace the

outline of coats of arms, that once had been

ROTDENHUEST.

emblazoned on the carved panels above.

The fireplacewas a remarkable feature for

its antiquity; here grotesque figures and

curious emblems were elaboratelycarved in

dark oak, while on the large open hearth,

stood massive fire-dogsof the griffinform,

on which were piledhuge logs of wood.

The pleasure grounds, intercepted here

and there by shrubs and forest trees, slopeddown to the beautiful lake, which from its

great expanse, appeared more like a river.

On the western side of the mansion, an ex-tensive

park,abounding in fine timber, led to

the entrance gates ; the surrounding pine and

other woods, and the distant hills,added to

the extreme beauty of the landscape.Sir Godfrey Culverton, the present owner

of Roydenhurst, was, as we have already

shown, a lover of the turf ; selfishness dark-ened

his whole character ; surrounded by his

sporting friends, ambitious to keep up his

reputation as a great man in the " betting

10 EOTDENHUEST.

world," lie never let the momentous concerns

of life trouble him;

he did not notice his

wife's declining health, nor heed his daughter's

unhappiness and misery from the persecution

of hisnew

friend, whose wealth he hoped,

through her, might be the means of saving

him from inevitable ruin.

EOYDENHURST. 11

CHAPTER II.

SiE Godfrey's new frieod and acquaintance,Mr. Fortiswood, was the son of a merchant,,

from whom he inherited a large fortune ;

both his parents died when he was a child,

and left him to the care of a penurious old

aunt. In due time she sent him to an or-dinary

commercial school in the little town

where she had resided all her life, " There,'*

she said, " he would learn the meaning,,and puttingtogetherof pounds shillingsand

pence," which, in her opinion,was the sole

education needful to make a gentleman of

him ! As he advanced in boyhood, his natur-ally

headstrong,self-willed dispositionbecame

stronger, and his impetuous bursts of passion

began to terrifiythe old lady, who soon

12 ROYDENHUEST.

discoYered he was beyond her management,

and consequently she sent him to an uncle,

livingin a wild retired part of North Wales,

where he learnt to ride fearlessly,to break in

horses, and in fact, hunting,horse-racing,and farming were his chief occupations.

His knowledge of horses, and love of field

sports,brought him under the notice of those

gentlemen who were sporting characters.

Perhaps it was this notice from his superiors

which first put ambitious thoughts into his

head, and made him alter his styleof dress,

and for a time, his demeanour; but familiarityis never safe wifch an inferior ; althoughyoung

Fortiswood imitated the style of dress and

habits, and tastes of his new acquaintances,

yet his impetuous temper, too often exposed,

in bursts of coarse invective language, his

low origin,until at last he was shown the

cold shoulder by all the neighbouring gentle-men.

On coming into possession of his

large fortune, he determined to leave his

ROTDENHUEST. 13-

relations,and to purcliaseland, and become

an" estated gentleman," in some far off

country, where his former positionwas un-known.

About this time, an estate in Cheshire,

which had formerlybelongedto the Culverton

family,was advertised for sale ; Mr. Fortis-

wood became the purchaser,and took up his

residence at Felton Court, about ten miles

from Eoydenhurst. Here, as the owner of

Felton Court, and known to be wealthy,

always well mounted and equipped in the

hunting field, Mr. Fortiswood was againadmitted into the society of gentlemen.Sir Godfrey Culverton delighted to find his

new neighbour a sporting man, who kepta first-rate stud, and was a man of large

fortune, invited him to Eoydenhurst,where

to his family he excused his friend's brusquemanner and want of polish,by observingthat

he had not been much in the world, never

travelled,but that he was a capitalneighbour,

14 EOTDENHURST.

and knew more of horses than any one about ;

in short, the Baronet seeing that the youngman might become useful to him, took him

by the hand, and, in due time, Mr. Fortiswood

became a frequent visitor at the house.

He was clever enough, partly from ex-perience,

to know that his keeping in the

societyhe now mixed with depended uponhimself ; but it was not altogetheran easytask to shake off at once the free habit of

thought and speech of his early training,which had been among a class of persons

who had no higher views of life than buyingand selling,ploughing, or dealingin cattle ;anxious, however, to keep well with his new

acquaintances,he held a check on his im-petuous

temper. As time wore on, Mr. For-tiswood

began to discover the Baronet's

wreak points, his reckless extravagance, his

love for the turf, which he saw was leadino:

him to ruin. Lawyer Catchall had let him

into a good deal of what was going on, and

16 EOTDENHURST.

While Richard Culverton, the heir, was at

Eoydenhurst, Mr. Fortiswood had no plea-sure

nor satisfaction in his visits. The young

man's fine handsome face, his ready flow of

conversation on his Oxford feats, on the

topics of the day, that ease of manner natural

to good birth and education ; all this, Mr.

Fortiswood envied.

On the other hand, young Culverton grew

impatient and distrustful at the immense in-fluence

he noticed Fortiswood had acquired

over his father. There was an insolent assur-ance

and familiarityin his manner of addres-sing

him which irritated Eichard Culverton,

and made him take a delis^ht in settino^ him

down, and often displaying his wit and

sarcasm at Mr. Fortiswood' s expense, who,

too, hated the heir, and began more and more

to dream of revenge.

EOYDENHUEST. 17

CHAPTER III.

The visit from his lawyer had left Sir God-frey

somewhat uneasy in his mind. The turn

events had taken on the Derby day were

certainlyvery threateningto his estate. He

seemed quite to forget the mortgages and

bonds alreadygiven for past extravagances,but to dwell on his present loss as if it were

the only one his conscience had to make him

feel ill at ease with himself; to " sell the re-version

of Roydenhurst," in fact, " cut off

the entail,"was a notion to which he could

not all at once be reconciled. But then, he

argued to himself, " if Fortiswood made it a

marriagesettlement on my daughter,it will

not be so bad, after all ; the placewould still

be in the family.*'VOL. I. 0

18 EOYDENHUEST.

"Witli these reflections,he determined he

would speak again to Jane, and point out to

her his ruin.

The followingmorning, as he stood at his

librarywindow, which looked oyer the park,he saw that an opportunity offered itself to

carry out his intentions ; for, being a bright

sunny day, Jane was sittingunder a tree

sketching.He hurried out of the room, and made his

way to her. He overtook his youngest child,

the little Laura, with her basket full of wild

flowers.

" Run away, Laura, I want to speak to

Jane."

The child ran to her attendant, who took

the hint, and walked away.

''Jane ! come and walk to the park gate with

me; I want to speak to you."

She gave a start at the sound of her father's

voice, for so intent had she been on her

sketchingthat she had not heard his foot-

EOTDEXHURST. 19

steps. Reluctantly she rose, for too ^ell

slie guessed what he was going to say to

her.

" Jane, I am a ruined man. My horses,

carriages,dogs, all must be sold ; every plea-sure

I have in life given up ! There is nothing

before us but a miserable existence. Eoyden-burst must be sold."

" Oh, Papa, ! sold ! But Eichard ?

"Richard!" he exclaimed. "His debts

must be on his own head. Think only of

your mother. "VThat will sellingRoydenhurstbe to her ?" a death blow ! The entail must

be cut off,and every acre of the property sold

out of the family, unless " " he looked ear-nestly

in her face " " you save it. Consent

to marry Fortiswood " he loves you " and has

most liberallyoffered to make Roydenhurst

your marriage portion."" Oh, don't, Papa, pleasedon't ask me. I

cannot marry him. I could never like him,

he is so dreadful."

20 ROYDENHUEST.

" Dreadful," repeatedher father. " I don't

know what you mean. As to looks, he is

quitegood looking enough for any woman ;And as to age, he is but three or four years

older than yourself. I reallycan't see what

you objectto in him."" Everything,Papa ; indeed, I feel that it

is quiteimpossibleI could ever marry him."

"Absurd," said her father,angrily. '' Be-cause

you don't feel some sentimental non-sense

at once, you won't try to like him.

Will it be no happiness to you to be the

means of saving your family from ruin ?

Fortiswood has, I repeat, made the most

liberal offers in the way of settlements ; by

your consenting to become his wife,your poormother will be spared the shock of hearing

anything about the entail."

Jane was silent. She knew that anythingshe said would increase her father's anger.

They had walked on until they had nearly

reached the end of the park,when the crack-

EOTDENHUEST. 21

of a whip, and a loud voice halloaingto a boyto " open the gate, you rascal," attracted

their attention.

The gate opened, a man dressed in shoot-ing

costume rode up to them.

"Halloa," he exclaimed. " This is luck.

Why, Miss Culverton, your coming to meet

me to-day makes my heart thump for joy !By Jove it does ! "

Sir Godfrey, not feelingquite at ease at

this speech,and wishingto soften his friend's

voice and manner, remarked "

" That is a fine horse, Fortiswood. Where

did you pickhim up ? "

" Why, quite by chance. Sir Grodfrey. A

fellow was ridinghim along the road. I took

a fancy to him, and swopped my old hack and

the broken-winded mare for him. A good

plan,Miss Jane, isn't it ? " he said. " Always

get rid of the old before you take on with the

new." And he laughed loudly at his own

joke.

22 EOTDENeURST.

It was impossibleslie could walk away, for

her father,seeing she became very pale,had

drawn her arm within his, and wishing to

say a few words to her alone, he said "

" Let me see his action,Fortiswood ; gallop

him round the park, will you ?"

Then looking at his daughter, he said "

" Jane, promise me you will not give

Fortiswood a decided refusal to-day. Delay

is of consequence to me. Say you will,at all

events, do this for me."

She had only time to murmur '*' very well,"

before Mr. Fortiswood came galloping up to

where they stood, exclaiming in a loud

voice"

" The brute has a bit of the devil in him,

if you pitchinto his flanks. By Jove, how he

goes head foremost over ditches, or anything

that comes in his way. Now, Sir Godfrey,

suppose you mount him, and leave me to talk

over matters with Miss Jane."

" Oh, no, don't go. Papa," she exclaimed.

24 EOTDE^'HUEST.

Poor Jane Culverton, during this speech,,

seemed to have gained supernaturalstrength.

She walked faster and faster.

" Come," he said, "we shall get to the

house before anything is settled. Say you will

be my wife."

" No, Mr. Fortiswood ; I " I cannot."

" Cannot ; why ? Your father gives his

consent."

'' Pray, do not ask me," she said.

" Yes ; but I must know if you mean to

give me no hope. Do you know the state of

your father's affairs ? He is a ruined man,

Miss Jane. Thisvery estate will have to be

sold to pay his debts, or at least,the rever-sion

of it,after his death ; but then, look at

your father's age ; he can't be more than

fiftyodd ; call it a twenty years'purchase.

'Why, that would not be a deshable invest-ment

to many. But I am already one of

your father's chief creditors; it is easy to me

to take the estate on bond. And, Miss Jane^

EOYDENHURST. 25'

what I propose is to settle it after upon you,

if you will consent to be my wife, it shan't

go to the hammer clean out of the family.

I tell you that I love you, Miss Jane ; and

what more can a man say or offer than I

have?"

She remained silent.

Again he repeated"" What more can I say ? I am not a bad

fellow. You will always find me a sober

man, and I don't gamble away my money "

what can I say more ?"

" Nothing," she murmured." Then you will ?

"

She did not reply,for she was thinkingof

her father's last words, and her hurried pro-mise

to him.

'' I see you hesitate.Miss Jane. Now this

is giving me some hope."

"No, no," she exclaimed; "not " not " "

" Not to-day," he said,finishingher sen-tence." But you will think of it,and I will

26 EOYDENHURST.

ride over again. You won't say anything

more to-day ? "

'' No," she said, in a low tone.

" Yery well; that is giving me some hope

to live upon until " what day shall I say ?

This is Tuesday ; I'll say Saturday. That is

a long time for me. Miss Jane."

They had reached the Hall door. She did

not answer him ; but, glad to escape, hastened

to her room, where, overcome with sorrow

and fright,she sobbed as if heart would

break.

After some little time she rose from her

chair, and began to think how to conceal

from her mother her agitation.

She was preparing to go down to her,

when her little sister Laura came bounding

joyously into the room, holding something inher hands.

''See, Jane," she exclaimed; "I have

"caught this darling robin. Has he not a beau-

EOYDENHURST. 27

tiful red breast ? " Then looking up in her

sister's face she said, " But oh, you have been

crying, Jane."

Away flew the robin out of the window, for

her little hands, which had held it so close a

prisoner,were all at once thrown round her

sister's neck.

" Oh, tell me, is dear Mamma very ill? Is

she worse ?"

" No, Laura, she is not worse ; I hope she

is a little better to-day."" Then what do you cry for, Jane ? I wish

you would tell me everything. I wish that I

was a woman."

Jane smiled at the child's simplicity,and

thought how strange it was that children's

peculiar ambition was age, while we envythem the sweet innocence of childhood,which

makes the flowers smell so sweet, so diffe-rent,

and all things in nature appear so mar-vellously

more wonderful and beautiful than

28 EOYDENHURST.

they do after tlie cares and storms o" life Lave

bluntedour

sensitiveness for these simple

pleasures.

Lady Culverton had lost two daughters

before the birth of little Laura, whowas

her

youngest child, and now eight years old. This

accounted for the difference inage

between

the sisters.

EOYDENHURST. 29

CHAPTER lY.

When Mr. Fortiswood left Jane Culverton at

the Hall door, he took a circuitous walk round

the park, the sun shone out brightlyon the

distant woods, showing to advantage the

noble mansion, standing in its well kept

pleasuregrounds ; he stopped to look around

him, and a smile of intense satisfaction crossed

his countenance, as he thought of one day-

being the owner of such a fine place; he did

not, however, long dwell on the extreme

beauty of the landscape before him, but fixed

his attention on a distant cluster of fine oaks.

" By Jove ! " he said to himself, " that

timber will fetch a good figure. I must have

a nearer look at it in a day or two, it must

be mine at once to fell or not, as I like. I'll

30 EOTDENHUEST.

see if I can't turn out that young Oxford

puppy, witli his fine jokes at every one, lieshan't show his face here again,if I can help

it,but not till I get her answer, shall I tell

the Baronetmy intentions ; she is coming

round, don't despair. Bob Fortiswood, first

get the lady,then the estate, and then good-

by to the heir. I'll snap my fingersin his

face."

By the time he had made these reflections

he arrived at the stables, where he found Sir

Godfrey,who said to him "'' I like that horse of yours, Fortiswood, he

carries his head well; there," pointingto some

splendid looking horses, "those are all for

Tattersall's ; I am going up to town. To tell

you the truth," he said, drawing him aside," I'd better be out of the way for a week or

so. My son's bills are out, and there's the

devil to pay ! But what's your chance with

my Jenny, heigh ? Has she come down from

her high horse ? By Jove ! she is a proud

S2 BOTDENHURST.

my horse will take this," and so sayinghe

with anger gave him so smart a cut with his

whip, that the animal, startled by it,reared

up, and then galloped furiouslydown the

park road.

"Ah!" muttered Mr. Fortiswood, "his

Oxford bills are out, are they ? so much the

better for me " they'llkeep him off these

premises till I have settled matters to my

liking."

While Mr. Fortiswood was thus buoying

himself up with hope, and consulting*his

lawyer on the value of Sir Godfrey'slife,and

the Eoydenhurst estate, poor Jane Culverton

was with a heavy heart and troubled mind

trying to find out her duty! Sometimes

thinking she ought to sacrifice herself for the

sake of her family,then the horror of such a

step would come back more forciblyeach

time she thought of him; thus the days

passed on in perplexity,until at last the

morning on which he was to appear, arrived.

EOYDENHTJRST. 33

She had shut herself up in her room,

determined to write a refusal, rather than

see him again; she was thinking over it,when the handle of her door cautiouslyturned,and in walked her brother.

'' Oh ! Richard," she exclaimed." Hush, Jane, where is my father ? I must

see him, he has not honoured my bills,and I

am in a pretty strait."

" When did you arrive ? Papa is not at

home."

"The deuce he is not, then what am I to

do ? when does he come back ?"

" I don't knoAV ; what do you want ?"

" Why, money of course !"

'' Oh, Richard ! what again? How much

do you want ? will ten pounds do ?"

" Ten pounds ! no, nor yet a hundred ! It

is a great shame of my father, after sendingCatchall to get me to sign lots of papers, on

the promisethat he would pay off my bills,and

advance me cash, to leave me in this lurch."

VOL. I. D

34 EOTDEN HURST.

'' Oil,Richard ! Papa is so embarrassed

himself, things are in a dreadful state, I'm

afraid," here her agitationovercame her, and

she burst into tears.

" The devil he is ! Why, what's the matter ?

Jane, you know more than you have told me

of my father. You don't mean that fellow

Fortiswood is prosecutingfor payment ? "

" I don't know ; something I suppose of

that sort, but oh, Eichard ! " and then

between tears and sobs she told him of his

offer.

" Confound the fellow's impudence, but

what doesmy father say to it ?

"

" Oh, that is so dreadful, Richard. Papa

is afraid of ruin."

" What ! if you refuse," he said,'' he is

such a low style of fellow ; one would not

mind his ruddy face and sandy hair, if he was

not so confoundedly the farmer in origin;

then, to be sure, Jane, he is rich as a Jew, and

as you say, he tacks a good lump of money

EOYDENHURST. 35

on to the conditions, why reallyit might not

be a bad thing to do, after all,taking matters

into consideration, you see."

" Oh, Richard, don't talk in that way ;

surelyyou would not like to see me his wife ?

I could never love nor even respect such a

man."

" It's not necessary, I suppose, to love the

man ; you can be civil to him, and for the

sake of his wealth, condescend to take his

name ; to tell you the truth, Jane, I suspectedhe was ogling my father out of something byhis ready loans. You, I suppose, are the

object! well, I can't say I admire your farmerlover," and he burst out laughing.

" Oh, Ei chard, how can you be so cruel."

'* Cruel, Jane ! I really don't mean to be

that, but " why, look here, it seems to me

that for love of you, Fortiswood means to

save us all from rack and ruin ? I'll promise

you that if he does, I'll turn over a new leaf,

and once clear of debts,will keep out of them.

36 ROTDENHUEST.

Come, Jane, think it over in a pliilosophical

light,think of the good you can do for your

family;and so it is you after all that he wants,

not, as I at one time fancied, the estate."

At this moment Lady Culverton's bell rang." There's my mother's bell, Richard, I

must leave you."'' Well, don't be long away, we must settle

this business, and I hope you will make up

your mind to accept Fortiswood; did you

say he was coming for his answer to-day ?"

" Oh, yes, I fear this afternoon ; what shall

I do ? what shall I do?" she almost moaned

aloud, as she prepared to leave the room.

For some time Richard Culverton sat

swinging his chair backwards and forwards,

meditating ; at last he rose, and seizinghis

hat, he sauntered off to the stables where he

fell in with a favourite old huntsman, from

whom he learnt much of the statistics of

the hunting establishment, and the departure

of the "best of the lot" for sale.

EOTDENHURST. 37

The old huntsman added, "he did not

know what was going next. The Derby day-

was a bad job,he feared, for master."Eichard did not stay to hear more, he

guessed a crisis had come ; he strolled into

the park, and then beyond to a favourite

knoll of trees ; a winding path led to the topwhere it might be called the " cemetery for

deceased pets." Here many an old dog and

horse were buried ; on one side there were

some very fine oaks and large trees, here on

the other side was a highperpendicularbank,

at the foot of which laya stagnant green pond.When he reached the top, he observed a man

among the trees, with his back towards him,

apparentlyreading; he watched him, when he

discovered he was taking notes of the trees,

measuring them, and counting the number ;

as he approached nearer he was astonished

to find the man to be Mr. Fortiswood, who

was so intent on his calculations, that he did

not see or hear him approach till he called out.

38 ROYDENHUEST.

" Halloa, Farmer Fortiswood, wliat are you

doing here ? "

Startled, lie suddenly turned round, and

reddening with anger at the sneering taunt

conveyed in young Culverton's voice and

address, he replied"" What is that to you ? Mind your own

affairs,and I'll mind mine."

Nettled by this insolent speech, Richard

Culverton in an angry tone, exclaimed "

" I should like to know, sir, what you're

marking those trees for, and by what right

you are trespassinghere, sir ? "

'"' I have as much right here as yon, I

suspect ; creditors won't wait for ever ! I

like to know the security for my money, and

to look before I leap, and into bondage too,"

and he laughed insolentlyat his joke." What do you mean to insinuate, sir ?

"

said Culverton, gettinghot with anger." What do I mean by ' bondage,' eh ?

Why, I mean shortlyto be your brother-in-

40 EOYDENHURST.

moderately,and insultinglycalled to liim "" Oh, you green monster, you look before you

leap, do you ? Ah, ah, ah ! a deuced nice

mess you're in ; a nice figure truly youwould appear now before your lady love "

shall I go and prepare her ? Ah, ah, ah !"

And then young Culverton having given

way to his wrath in the contemptuous in-sulting

speeches,hurried back to the house,

and at once to his sister's room, where he

found her in tears.

" Jane," he said vehemently, '' I had rather

see you dead, than the wife of that cursed

scoundrel."

She looked at him in dismay; his excited

manner alarmed her, and the sudden turn his

views had taken, puzzledher." Don't be afraid of that vulgar fellow

coming here to-day,I've given him such a

ducking,he won't forgetit in a hurry,but I

have no time to lose ; I am off to-night,Jane.

Can I see my mother ? I must see her,I leave

this placefor ever.'*

EOYDENHURST. 41

" Oh, Ricliard ! Good lieavens, what have

you done ?"

" What have I done ? Ask my father what

he has done; sold my birthright,"he said in

a bitter tone ; " since I was in this room last,

I have seen and learnt enough to know that,

and how that wretch Fortiswood has been

playingthe devil with my father. Now listen

to me ; promise me, Jane, promise me that

you will never marry that fellow ; let no en-treaties

of my father,nothinghe may say or do,

induce you to accept him ; promise me this."

Jane remained silent.

"

"What ! " he vehemently exclaimed, '' you

don't mean that you reallyafter all care for

the man ? "

" Oh, no Richard, I hate him, and despise

him, and dread the very sightof him. I was

only thinkingof my mother, need she be told

anything? "

'' No, but I must tell her that I am going

away " come, you have not made me the

promise,Jane " "

42 EOTDENHURST.

" Indeed then, Eichard, I will, and oh,

it'slike a reprieveto me, after all I have gonethrough since you were here this morning,

thinkingover all you said."" Better,Jane, let the wretch have the estate

without you, than with you, for have it he

will,that is after my father's death, and I

swear to you Jane, that I shall never set foot

in England again."" Oh, Richard, stop, don't say that "

"'

He interruptedher." Yes, I will ; do you think I'd be in the

same country, and know that scoundrel was

the owner of this place? I'd rather be hangedfirst. But now I have to collect my traps, goand prepare my mother. Does she know

that 1 am here ? "

" Yes, she has been askingfor you ; she is

rather better to-day,pray be careful what

you say to her ; it will be better,if possible,to avoid mentioningthe state of affairs."

" Very, well, come to my room when she

is ready to see me."

EOrDENHUEST. 43

CHAPTER Y.

The aspect of a sick room, even to tlie most

light-heartedor worldly visitor,changes his

thoughts and feelings in one moment.

Richard Culverton, whose lieart beat with

passionand revenge onlyan hour ago, is now

sittingby his mother's bed, subdued and

softened, shocked to see the change for the

worse in that loved face. In spiteof the

ravages which ill-health and anxiety had

made on Lady Culverton, there could stillbe

traced a marked resemblance to the beautiful

portraitover the dining-room fireplace,but

now the peculiarbrilliancyof her eyes, the

soft hectic colour, and wasted form, told too

plainlythat Lady Culverton was in the last

stage of consumption. Holding her son's

hands within hers,she feeblysaid "

44 EOYDENHURST.

" But tell me, dear Richard, what are you

going to do ? "

" Get away from here as fast as I can,

mother, from confounded duns, which my

father promised to pay, but he has not."

A sigh escaped Lady Culverton." I mean," she said, "Richard, what are

jou going to do to help yourself? You can-not

afford to be idle all your life."

" No, but nothing can be done here; it

will be better for me to go away out of this

country."" Why, surely Eichard, there must be

some way for you to pay off your debts in

time ? You will be three-and-twentynext

month ? "

" True, mother, but I have made up my

mind to go abroad ; I mean to America, or

Australia, and try my luck in something out

in a new country."

Lady Culverton sighed deeply, and for a

little time was silent ; presentlyshe said "

EOTDENHURST. 45

" I fear your father is in trouble, he has

once or twice hinted to me about difficulties^

as if some crisis was what he feared; perhaps

Richard, this is why he has not fulfilled his

promise to you, he is waiting for somethingto be settled."

Eichard remembered his sister s caution to

say nothing to his mother of their father's

affairs,and so he merely replied"" Perhaps it is so, mother, but I am sure it

will be in every way better for me to go

abroad."

Again poor Lady Culverton sighed,and

pointing to her desk on the table, she toldhim to place it before her ; she first took out

some old copy books, she smiled as she

smoothed his face with her poor thin hand,

and said,opening one of the copy books which

was written in a child's lars^ehandwritincr"" How I have treasured these, Richard, do

you remember your little journals when youwere my pupilin writing? "

46 EOTDENHURST.

" Yes, clear motlier, and what a famous

long journalI shall have to send you homefrom Austraha ! I will,indeed, mother, keep

one, and send it home too, somehow or other,

see if I don't."

Alas ! she thought, I shall never live to

see or to read it,and then, overcome with the

thought of never seeingher son again in this

world, she wept bitterly.The sightof his

mother s grief touched the spring of goodstill flowing in Eichard's heart, he bent over

her paleface and kissed her tenderly." Mother," he said in a low voice, "forgive

me."

She pressed his hand, and for some time

neither of them spoke. At last he said "" Indeed, mother, away from all my Oxford

companions, I will do something for myself,but I cannot remain here ; not another dayif I can help it."

She took out of her desk a pocket-book,and placed it in his hands, tellinghim " it con-

48 EOTDENHURST.

CHAPTER YI.

Like some green monster, strugglingon to

the bank, Mr. Fortiswood at last got out of

the pond, cursing, swearing, almost yellingfor vengeance ; he rolled on the grass as the

only means to extricate himself from the

green duck- weed which clung to him. He

then made his way to the gate, at which he

had fastened his horse ; here his savage rage

vented itself on the animal, who reared and

kicked in return, so that he had some diffi-culty

to mount.

" I'll chouse that infernal fellow out of the

estate, before another week is over," burst

continuallyfrom his lips,as he rode furiously

along,nor did he stay on reaching home to

change his drippingclothes,but immediately

EOTDENHUEST. 49

sat down to his writing table, and wrote to

lawyer Catcliall,*' to lose no time in at once

closingfor the reversion of the Roydenhurst

estate," and, perhaps,aware of his lawyer'sslowness about business, he threatened to

employ another lawyer if he showed anyslackness about the matter.

" There," he muttered as he closed his letter,

" I'll be hanged if that cursed heir shall

ever claim one acre of the property. He is a

d"

d puppy, with his infernal sneers and

jokes."A night'srest did not improve either Mr.

Fortiswood's temper or his bodily aches,which now assailed him ; and to add to his

annoyance, Mr. Catchall's clerk sent word

to say that his master had gone from home

for a month's holiday." Confound him, I'llnot wait ; the London

lawyers shall do it."

Impatientfor revenge beyond endurance,

he wrote to the Baronet, who, he very well

VOL. I. E

50 EOYDENHURST.

knew, with the prospect of an immediate

cheque for "10,000, would lose no time in

settingthe lawyers to work. He told him

Catchall was not to return home for at least

a month, and he particularlywished the busi-ness

to be all settled at once. Certain papers

which might be required,he told the clerk at

Catchall's office to send up to London.

The fear now began to haunt him of the

ducking story getting abroad, and being a

lastingjoke and laugh against him, amongthe sportinggentlemen. This made him the

more passionatelyfly to action, with the

desire to be doing something towards revenge.A severe cold, which he caught from not

sooner changing his clothes, ended in a rheu-matic

fever, which for several weeks confined

Mr. Fortiswood to his bed.

During that time events had taken placeat

Roydenhurst, which he hoped might favour

his cherished wish.

These were, the flightof the son and heir.

EOTDENHURST. 51

and the death of Lady Culverton. She neverrallied after the trial of partingwith her son,but graduallygrew weaker, and died a month

after he left the house.

To Jane Culverton her loss was irrepar-able.

They had been together,more like

sisters than mother and daughter. 'Now she

seemed to stand alone in the world. Her

brother fled,her father often angry and un-kind

at her positiverefusal to marry Mr.Fortiswood. She was thankful,however, to

have her littlesister,who had been so ten-derly

confided to her care byher loved mother

to tend and cherish.

In order to screen them from her father's

sportingfriends,she determined to establish

themselves,with their faithfulnurse, in another

wing of the house, remote from that part in-habited

by her father. Here she could neither

hear,see, nor be seen by his usual guests;and since her mother's death Mr. Fortiswood

appearedmore than ever to be one of them.

LIBRARY

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

52 EOYDENHURST.

Anothercause

ofanger

witli her fatherwas

her refusal to sit at the head of his table

when his sporting friends were in the house.

Naturally reserved in manner, for her sister's

sake she becamemore so.

She could not bear the innocent, youthful

Laura should be hurt by foolish, flattering

speeches and remarks, too often made to

children, which, like insidious weeds, some-times

take too deep root ever to be wholly

eradicated.

EOTDENHUEST. 53

CHAPTER YII.

Between the lawyers and Mr. Fortiswood,

Sir Godfrey Culverton s affairs were settled.

For the remainder of his life he was to hold

possession of Roydenhurst. And this en-abled

him to bear up againstthe shock of his

ruined estate.

The lawyerspointed out to him that it was

absolutelynecessary to reduce, not only the

outlay of the hunting establishment, but

everythingwhich had been so long carried on

with reckless extravagance.

It was fortunate the Baronet had no power

over his wife's fortune. The little fortune

she had, at her death, became her daughter's,

so that Jane Culverton was independent of

her father.

54 ROTDENHURST.

Time passedon. Excepting an occasional

annoyance and stormy words from her father,

nothing occurred to break the monotony of

her life. The education of her little sister

was a source of happiness, and the child's

merry, livelydispositionhelped to cheer her

in her quiet,almost prisonlife,which, under

the present circumstances, it might be called.

An event, however, one day offered itself,

in the prospect of a visitor! Mrs. Prescott,

who had been her former governess, and to

whom she was much attached, proposed a

visit to Roydenhurst,on her way home from

Ireland.

She was the widow of a medical man, and

before her marriage she had lived some yearsin the Culverton family. Although Mrs.

Prescott was now somewhat elderly,yet she

was so brightand cheerful,and had so much

to say, and so much to do, that she mighthave been taken for any age below forty,but,in pointof fact, she was between sixtyand

seventy.

56 KOYDENHUEST.

Jane assured her that there was nothing

she should like better, but she would defer

the pleasureuntil next summer." Well, my dear, you shall have a hearty

welcome at any time ; but Sutton is not a

pretty place,not like my old village,where

my father and mother lived. Longworth is

one of the prettiestvillagesin England ; but

I have not been there for some time, and I

dare say there are changes."" Where is this pretty village? " asked

Jane.

" Longworth, ray dear, is in Devonshire,

on the banks of the beautiful Eiver Exe. I

don't know if the old Eector is still alive ;

but he must be a very old man if he is yet

living."

While they were walking along thus in

desultory conversation, a telegram was

brought to Mrs. Prescott, the purport of

which was to hasten her return home to

Sutton.

ROYDENHURST. 57

" Now, mj dears, I shall not forget your

promise to pay me a visit,either this year,

or, in fact,whenever you like. Just let me

know a few days before, that I may not be

leavinghome."

Jane thanked her, and, affectionatelykiss-ing

her and Laura, Mrs. Prescott got into the

carriageand drove away.A few days after her departure, it was

with mixed feelingsof pleasureand pain that

Jane welcomed a letter from her brother

Richard. It was addressed to his mother, of

whose death he had not heard.

The letter was very short, tellingher that

he was in Australia,and going up the country

to try his luck at sheep farming; begging

her forgivenessfor all the anxiety he had

caused her, and telling her he should not

forget his promise to send her home his

journal.Short as this letter was, Jane treasured it.

It confirmed what she had always believed.

58 EOTDENHURST.

that her brother's heart was good ; and

awayfrom his former reckless companions,

affection for his home, and the thoughts of

his mother's tenderness and early teachings

would return. Such affections can never

wholly be lost, however wild and profligate a

man may become, if when a boy he was

brought up under the watchful eye of his

mother. Some timeor

other her influence

will revive, and love, deep love for her, will

bring such remorse that, what would he not

give to be again the boy at her side !

Oh, mothers ! bring up your sons carefully

and lovingly, teaching them in boyhood to

havea reverence

for Religion ; it is your influ-ence

which will be their greatest safeguard.

EOTDENHURST. 59

CHAPTER YIII.

The sisters were again confined to their own

localities. Their little garden was entirelytheir own. Here they spent many an hour,

without any fear of intrusion ; but they often

wished to change the garden for more distant

scenes.

Another year had glided on, and spring,with all its beauty, had begun to show itself,

bringingwith it a greater desire for liberty

to roam about the lovelywoods and glens.

One evening their old servant told them

that she had heard Sir Godfrey giving orders

to have the breakfast laid the followingmorn-ing

for a largeparty of gentlemen, and it was

to be veryearly,for they were to start directly

after for a distant meet. The dinner hour,.

60 ROYDENHURST.

too, had been put off,as it was not expected

they would be back before six o'clock.

This was an opportunity of which Jane

determined to take advantage, and to enjoya day'sramble in the woods.

Accordingly, no sooner on the following

morning had the huntsmen left the house,

than the sisters sallied forth to the woods,

with a basket containingtheir luncheon.

" Oh, liberty! sweet, delicious liberty,"little Laura kept singing, as she ran about

from one glen to another, like a young fawn,

collecting ferns, or fillingher basket with

wild flowers.

It was a delightfulday, the air so soft

and warm, and long they lingered in the

woods, until the absence of the sun warned

them it was time to bend their steps towards

Tiome.

As they came within sightof the house they

were surprised to see men and horses stand-ing

before the hall door " what could it

ROTDENHUEST. 61

mean ? Surely the huntsmen could not comeback so early.

They hastened on by a path which led to

the side door. It was no sooner opened than

the servant told them Sir Godfrey had met

with an accident ; he had been thrown from

his horse in the hunting field,and had been

brought home insensible.

Jane, without waiting to take off her walk-ing

dress, but casting aside her hat, almost

flew up the stairs,nor did she stop to notice

the gentlemen she encountered in the passage,who were hovering about, but hurried on to

her father's room.

Here she found their nurse standing by his

bedside.

Jane did not speak a word, for as she bent

over his prostrate form, she thought her

father was dead, and in that moment love and

sympathy filled her heart; and to think of

how often she had obstinatelyopposed him,

was now agony to her.

62 EOTDENHURST.

Again and again she kissed liis death-like

forehead ; she felt she would have consented

to do anything he wished, if she could onlybring him back to life.

As she laid her head down by his side,

sobbing sounds told how deeply she was suf-fering.

A kind hand rested gentlyon her shoulder,and the words reached her

"

" Miss Culverton, let me examine yourfather."

" Oh, Doctor Fuller,I am so thankful youhaveco^ie; but " but " " she could hardly

say the words, " is it too late ? "

"With what intense anxiety she waited inthe little dressing-room, listeningto catch

any sound of movement in her father's room.

At last the old nurse came to tell her that

the Doctor wished to see her.

He told her that her father was not dead,

but his head had suffered by the fall. At

present he could not say to what extent the

64 EOTDENHUUST.

had ordered. Again he appeared to fall

asleep. She sat down, with her face close to

his,to catch every sound. Once he opened

his eyes and looked at her.

" Jane," he said, " when I am dead every-thing

must go. Drop my name ; promise me

you will."

She was afraid to hesitate, lest by doing

so she might irritate him, so she answered "" I will,dear father."

" Don't call me dear. I have been a bad

husband, and a cruel father. Forgive" oh,

Jane, here, come closer " Richard " a letter."

He became exhausted, and for some time

lay almost insensible. Then again restless,

struggling to speak ; but Jane could not

understand him. She wished he would not

attempt to speak,he was so exhausted after it.

In the evening he got worse. As she

leant over him, he fixed his eyes with a look

of tenderness upon her, and she caught the

words "

EOTDENHIJEST. 65

" I no longerwish you to " to ""

She could only guess the rest, for his

speech became quite incoherent. He never

spoke again,but died the followingday inhis daughter'sarms.

vol.. 1.

66 BOTDENHUEST.

CHAPTER IX.

What a shock and revolution of feelingwas

experiencedby all,as tlie tidingsof Sir God-frey's

deatli spread !

Then followed lamentations for his loss,

and sympathy for his " misfortunes," as his

reckless extravagance was now more chari-tably

called. Eegrets that the fine old place,

the pictures,and every memorial of the

ancient familywere now to fall into the hands

of a man of no education, and of low origin.

Many were the surmises as to what would

be the result now of Fortiswood's proposals

to Miss Culverton.

The termination of that day of pleasure

into one of gloom and sorrow, cast a feelingof awe especiallyon those who recollected

EOTDENHUEST. "7

how SO short a time ago laughterand merri-ment

echoed through the old hall from the

largegatheringof horsemen who, passingin

and out, loudlyexpressed their enjoyment inprospect of the day'srun ; while out of doors

the barking of dogs, the cracking of whips,

grooms with their horses, all joiningin theexcitement of the coming meet.

Now, how quietthe house had become all

at once. Everything was changed ; but the

old chime clock, which had for years stood in

one corner of the hall, continuing to tell out

the quarters in cheerful strains, warning

active,restless man, who is for ever changing

scenes, to prepare for the next, whether of

weal or woe, duty, pleasure,or business.

Time changes all things but itself. So,

whether life or death, mirth or silence reignedin the house, the old clock cheerfullychimed

on in spiteof the solemn stillness around.

The funeral was attended by a numerouscircle of the Baronet's friends,many of whom.

68 EOTDENHTJRST.

no doubt, thought more of their own indi-vidual

loss of a pleasanthouse, a jovialboard,and an ever-readywelcome, than the real loss

of its master.

Jane Culverton was almost stunned bjoverwhelming sorrow, and it was several days

before she could subdue the fits of agony

which overcame her. At last,recalled to the

necessityfor exertion,by the recollection of

her father's affairs,and her own positionnow

in that house, she set herself the task of

writing to Mrs. Prescott, accepting her invi-tation

at once to Sutton, with her little sister,

and faithful nurse, she told her that even-tually

they should probably go abroad.

There was much to be done. By her

mother's request her father had given her

many little relics and treasures whichhad

been her mother's " all her plate and

trinkets.

Jane had not yet felt strong enough to

yisit her father's library; but anxious to see

EOYDENHUEST. 69

if there was a letter for her brother any-where,

she determined to delay the painfultask no longer. Every object around her

brought thoughtsof childhood's happiness; as

she wandered on through the lofty,silent

hall,the clock struck out its cheerful chimes,

which quite startled her, so forciblywere

those sounds connected with her early im-pressions

of childhood, when she almost

reverenced them as something mysteriouslybeautiful. And now how vividlythey recalled

to her mind little incidents of her brother's

happy boyhood ; his loved face and merryvoice.

With a sad heart she hastened to the

library. Ko sooner had she turned the

handle of the door than she paused, seeing

two figuresseated before a table covered with

papers and letters.

They were so absorbed in their conversa-tion

that they did not hear her as she closed

the door and hastened away.

70 EOYDENHURST.

The following morning she made a search

for the letter;

but finding no trace of one,

she began to think her father meant she was

to write to inform Richard he was ill, per-haps,

in his state, forgetting her brother's

flight.

72 EOYDENHURST,

SO easilyand suddenly come into possessionof

the estate, lie was determined to try his suit

again. It might be thought strange, that so

low-born and uncouth a man as Mr.Fortiswood

should have fallen in love with so superiora

person as Jane Culverton, but how often it

happens that the low, uneducated mind, is

fascinated and spell-bound by the power of

beauty ! Her deep mourning added interest to

her appearance, and almost a death-like pallid

complexion set off those beautiful soft brown

eyes, in which there was an expressionof

languor and sadness. She had refused to see

Mr. Fortiswood since her father's death,

requestingthat any matters of business to be

referred to her, might come through the

lawyer, Mr. Catchall, who remained in the

house, and he had alreadytold her that certain

papers and documents would have to be

resorted to, before surrendering possession." Have the London lawyers got the papers

and documents ? " asked Mr. Fortiswood, on

EOTDENHURST. 73

meeting the lawyer, a few days after the

funeral.

" No, they affirm that Sir Godfrey took

them away from their office,they believe to

get his son's signature; the papers were

never returned to them."

" Then where the deuce are they ? Where

are the Baronet's papers kept ?"

''In an iron chest, in a cupboard in the

library."" Then, I say, let us go there at once, and

take possessionof them, and find out all we

want, before I try my luck again with Miss

Oulverton."

They were soon absorbed in their task,

turning over paper after paper, deeds, bonds,

parchments, but the one they were in search

of appeared not to be among them. Mr.

Fortiswood looked alarmed.

"Where the deuce is the document?" he

said ; another box was overhauled, but it was

not there.

74 EOTDENHUEST.

" It can't be in this box, can it ? " That

was soon opened, and within lay a voluminous

looking parchment document. " Hurrah ! ' '

exclaimed Mr. Fortiswood, " this is it, but

confound it,who the devil is to wade through

all this law here ? Let us look what this is

pinned to it,a letter directed," and he read " "" To Richard Culverton, to be delivered to

him or his heirs after my death," signed'' Godfrey Culverton, Bart."

Eagerly Mr. Fortiswood, without the least

compunction of honour, opened and read it ;the effect it produced on him was to cast an

almost fiendish look at the lawyer ; everyfeature in his face betrayed agitation,as he

gave utterance to "

" D" n, you " you " you knew of this ?

"

" Knew of what ? " asked Mr. Catchall in,

amazement.

" 2%af," he said pushing the letter to him,,

and while the lawyer read the following,

lines,Mr. Fortiswood overwhelmed him with

EOTDENHURST. 75

a torrent of abuse, smarting under tlie belief

that liebad been duped by bim :"

" Dear Richard, "

''Your poor motber entreated me

not to cut off the entail ; sbe seemed to bave

an impression that you would some day orotber realise a largefortune in tbe new world.

I believe she dreamt once or twice this was

the case; however, she was so urgent with me

about the matter, that I had a proviso made

in the sale of the reversion, which will give

you or your heirs,the power to redeem the

property within twenty-fiveyears of mydeath. Your mother's remains will be

interred to-morrow.

" Your affectionate father,

" Godfrey Culverton, Bart.

" Roydenhurst, 18-."

" What does this letter mean ? Sir ! you

must have known of this provisoto " to " "

76 EOTDENHURST.

" No," interruptedMr. Catchall, " I knew

nothing of it,but I can understand how it

has happened, and you have yourselfto thank

for it."

" That's a lie,sir ! I never was told a word

about it,"he shouted out with passion." But the lawyers in London Sir Godfrey

employed, sent you down the documents to

read over ; for some reason known only to

yourself,you suddenlyhurriedon the business ;

you took it entirelyout of my hands, and,

excepting to send me certain receipts for

moneys, you never even showed me any of

the documents."

" No, because you were away, and I was

not going to be put off a month, besides I

was ill,and I wanted it all done and settled

up."" Yery well, and you wrote to Sir Godfrey

to push on the legalforms ; you sent him

money in advance, and when the documents

came down you put your signature,it appears,

EOYDENHUEST. 77

without first looking them over, and there,"

pointingto the letter,*' is the consequence,"the lawyer said in rather an injuredtone.

" I don t care a rush for your d " d law,

the property is mine, I paid for it, and I'll

keep it too, whether that fellow,"looking at

the letter," wants it or not."

" In a Court of Equity, that document

would not stand ; the signature of the son,Richard Culverton, is wanting," said the

lawyer." What the devil has it to do in a Court of

Equity ? Who is there to contest the validityof

my possession? The money is paid.Sir,

Godfrey was satisfied,and the heir by his

flight,considers the thing done."

"Yes, no doubt," repliedthe lawyer,"he

believed one of the papers I got him to sign

was that."

" Very well then, I say again who is there

to disputethe validityof this ? The women,if you mean them," said Mr. Fortiswood,

78 EOTDENHURST.

" have notliingto do with the entail property,

I suppose."

Mr. Catchall's solid countenance relaxed to

something like a faint smile, at the young

man's conclusive hypothesis,and he re-

naarked"

" There would be certain legalinvestigationsin the event of your sellingthe property,

which""

'' Pshaw ! " interruptedMr. Fortiswood," if that's all,I shall never sell,you may de-pend

upon it,as long as that fellow Culverton

lives."

'' That is not the only consideration ; now

that I am in possessionof these facts,I must

deliberate upon them, as to how far they will

bear on my " my " my business, in fact my

position," said lawyer Catchall, looking

earnestly at the young man, who began to

see that he was completely in the lawyer's

power, and wishing to conciliate matters, he

said, with somewhat a softer tone "

80 * EOYDENHURST.

Mr. Catchall thoroughly enjoyed a good

dinner, in fact he was a hon vivant, a

bachelor, slow in movement, slow in judg-ment,

he lovedease

and time to deliberate

overmatters ; one thing he definitely settled "

" I had better have the box with all these

papersand documents taken at once to my

office."

EOYDENHUEST. 81

CHAPTER XI.

There is a sayingthat " no man has so much

care as he who endeavours after the most

happiness." Although Mr. Fortiswood had

the desire of his heart in the earlypossessionof an estate he so much coveted, yet he was

not contented ; his mind was ill at ease,

because his inordinate ambition had not been

satisfied to its full extent.

One morning, Jane Culverton received a

message from Mr. Catchall, requestingper-missionto see her in the library.Believingit

to be the last interview, and that it was to

tell her the day on which Mr. Fortiswood

would claim possession,she at once proceededto the room ; it was unoccupied,and she sat

down to wait for the lawyer. Presentlyshe

VOL. I. a

82 EOYDENHURST.

heard steps approacliing,wlien tlie door

opened, and to her great annoyance and dis-may,

her persecutor entered ; she instantly

rose from her seat, and said "

" Mr. Fortiswood, this is an intrusion,sir,"

and she was about to leave the room, when

he placed himself against the door, saying"" Jane Culverton, I entreat you to hear

me. I am here to repeat my offer,has not this

unlooked-for. event changed your feelings?

Again I ask you to become my wife ? all this

shall be""

** Stop,sir," she said, " you have alreadyhad

my answer; my determination is the

same."

" But can't you reconsider it. Miss Jane ?

'pon my soul, I love you more than ever;and if you marry me, I'll neither mention

your father's debts nor his ""

" Speak not to me, sir,of my father,whom

you helped to ruin, nor annoy me by repeat-ing

your offer again."

BOYDENHURST. 83

" I ruin him ! Come, I like that, when I

lent himmoney scores of times. Do you not

care for the family estate being lost? It

shall be yours, every acre of it,Jane Culver-

ton, only say ' yes'

to my offer."

She made an attempt to reach the door.

" Mr. Fortiswood, this is ungentlemanlikeconduct to keep me bere againstmy will ; I

request tbat you will let me leave the room."

" Will you relent ?"

''Never, sir."

" Never ! that's a long time. Miss Jane ;but where shall you go ? perhaps" "

She interruptedhim by saying"" I beg you will not annoy me further,by

attempting to see me again."" Will you give me any hope ? "

"None, none whatever, sir; again I

request that you will let me leave the room."

" Well then," he said, " you will be under

my roof; to-morrow I shall legallytake

possession,"then openingthe door, he added.

84 ROYDENHTJRST.

loud enouglito reacli lier, as she retreated

through the hall, "since you obstinately

refuse me and Eoydenhurst, I swear that

this place shall never again belong to a Cui-

yerton.".

Trembling in every limb, she reached her

own room, a shower of tears came to her

relief,she saw that there was no time to be

lost in preparingfor immediate departure ; it

was evident, after what had just occurred,she could expect no help or sympathy from

the lawyer. She wrote to prepare Mrs.

Prescott for their arrival; she told her of the

wish so earnestly spoken by her father of

dropping his name, and that she believed it

would be the only plan to escape from per-secutionand further annoyance. She then,

under the superintendence and direction of

the worthy old nurse, Mrs. Tims, whom she

had taken into her confidence, packed and

arranged everything,and before the sun rosethe followingmorning the sisters had left

EOYDENHURST. 85

their home"

the home of their ancestors.

"Noone

knew where they were gone, but it

was generally believed that they had gone

abroad.

S6 EOYDENHURST.

CHAPTER XII.

The wind and rain liad been beating against

the window panes all day, and notliingwas

to be seen in tlie little town of Sntton but

umbrellas lifted high over umbrellas carried

low, tlie rain came patteringdown on the

pavement with a fryingsound, putting water-proofs

and oil skins to the test, defying the

hardy pedestrianto loiter on the road.

*" Oh dear, oh dear, what a dreadful day

the ladies have for their journey," said Mrs.Prescott to her little maid. " Ah, well,"

she thought, " may be it is better and kinder

of the sun not to shine ; this gloom and rain

is more in unison with their feelings,poor

things! "

Then she bustled about to see that every-

88 EOYDENHUEST.

and sympathy in tlieir hostess, which, was

very soothing to their sad hearts." I am an old-fashioned woman, my dear

ladies,and my house is a very humble one,

very different to what you, poor dears, have

been accustomed to " but I hope you will be

comfortable and happy with me."

" I am sure," repliedJane, " everythingis so nice and pretty here, it will be our own

fault if we are not so."

Weeks passed on and nothing occurred to

disturb the quietude which Jane Godfrey,for that was the name she had adopted, was

enjoying in the societyof her old friend; shebegan, however, to think it time to settle her

plans for the future ; her first idea was to go

abroad, but she did not feel equal to the

excitement ; on account of her health, she

wished to choose a home in a mild climate,

and recollectingMrs. Prescott had mentioned

some place in Devonshire, she one day asked

her some questionsabout that county.

EOTDENHUEST. 89

" It is,my dear," she replied,

"

abeautiful

county, and I think tlie climate might suit

you.I wish

youcould

see myfavourite

village, Longworth, it is on the banks of the

Exe, and, inmy day, a great place for fisher-men,

who used to stay at the old inn, but it

ismany years ago

since I lived there with

myfather and mother, and now I see in to-day's

paperthat the old rector is dead.'*

90 EOTDENHUEST.

CHAPTER XIII.

LoNGWORTH is One of tlie many pretty vil-lages

on the banks of the River Exe, which

the traveller,in the old coach days, was wont

to notice as he passed through it on the high

road to Exeter.

The cottages, chieflylow and thatched,

were many of them trim and gay, thelittle

patches of garden before the doors being

thicklystudded with flowers of many hues "

here and there an opening down to the

river brought the woods and banks on the

opposite side into view, making it very pic-turesque.

The inhabitants were at this time some-what

in a state of excitement as to who would

succeed their late Rector, who had lived up-wards

of fiftyyears amongst them.

EOTDENHUEST. 91

When a man dies who has been a sort of

landmark in one spot for a great number of

years, till few are left who remember any

other, however old that man may be, or how-ever

long his death may have been expected,there is a shock, a revolution of feelingex-perienced

by all around him " an unwillingconviction that with him a link of their own

life is gone ; old associations, old customs,

old friendshipsdeparted" ^a change is about

to take place?

Such were the feelingsof the parishionersof Longworth, as the church bell continued

to tell of their old Rector's death to far and

near.

Few men like change of any sort " especi-allythose of Longworth, who had had their

own way foi* many years " the late Rector

having been very easy about his duties.

He was not a bad-hearted man, his jovialityof dispositionspringingfrom an earlylove of

country life,and rural sports being his chief

"92 ROTDENHUEST.

delightand occupationmade him choose the

Church for his profession,believingthat in a

quietcountry parish he should be able to

follow the tastes and pleasures to which he

was accustomed. So, with a little Latin and

Greek, and a very small stock of Theology,

he became in due time a parish priest,and

-was presented to the living of Longworth,

ivhere, he believed, if he let things remain as

he found them, quarrelledwith no man, gaveto the poor when they wanted alms, and keptthe farmers

up to mending the roads, he was

doing his duty satisfactorily.His gown, ragged and brown with age,

hung during the week on the back of a pew,which served as vestry, was on a Sunday

jumbled on, his arms sometimes thrustthrough a rent in mistake, which was sure to

raise a titter among the juveniles.The old Clerk used to get out of his box

by the reading desk, and mounting to the gal-lery,

seated himself in the centre of it ; then

EOTDENHUEST. 93

taking Ms liuge bass-viol from between his

legs, began tuning it, saying to his choir,*' A pitchtoo high," or " a pitch too low,'*

before givingout in the loudest possibletone

the anthem about to be sung.

It was no matter to the Rector if the

singersquarrelled amongst themselves and

refused to sing at all ; he thought the service

didvery well without music. But if,on the

contrary, they liked to bring any number of

instruments, he never noticed either the want

of harmony or reverence to the church.

When the parents complained that their

children learned nothing from old Dame

Goneby, he would only say "*' Learn ! what do they want to learn !

She can teach them the Commandments."

Such was the state of thingsin the parishwhen Death, the great monarch of change^

brought hope and fear, wonder and specula*tion into the hearts of the living.

In the neighbouring rural districts light

94 EOYDENHURST.

had burst, and spread its rays of knowledge

and improvement with increased force and

power every year ; it was, therefore, natural

that a change should be looked for at Long-

worth, but it would be hard work at first to

attempt to reform so neglected a parish,

where the principalinhabitants were of the

agriculturalclass, and required judicioustrainingto bring them to such a change" to

do away with old prejudices" to give up oldand irreverent customs, and to teach them

proper reverence for holy things." Who is to have the living? Who will be

our new Rector?"

These were questions asked by farmers

and villagers,and at the blacksmith's shop,the usual lounge for gossips, speculations

were going on as to who would have the old

Eector's nags and hunters, and there were

loud lamentations from Joe Anvil, who

feared that his "best days were over," and*'

'twas likelyto be a bad job for him."

96 EOTDENHUEST,

CHAPTER XIY.

The parishionersof Longworth were not longin doubt wlio was to have the living. It was

soon known to have been presented to the

gentleman who had recently purchased the

Manor House and estate.

Mr. Hartleigh was a young man of good

family,and he was an earnest, conscientious

man, zealous in doing good, and his zeal was,

fortunately,tempered by discretion. He did

not rush at once into a reformation, but

wisely preparedthe minds of his people. He

led them to see what his own duties and re-sponsibilities

were, and then he talked to

them of theirs. Thus his good sense, con-sideration

and feelingfor his parishioners,by

degrees so worked on their understanding,

that many who had left the church from

EOYDENHUEST. 97

ignorance or persuasion,now returned to it.

Then, too, to have a ladylivingat the Rectory

was a novelty,the former Eector never having

been married.

Mrs. Hartleigh'ssympathy, her attention

and kindness to her people,gainedfor her an

influence over them.

G-reat curiosityand wonder were expressed

in and around the villageto know who the

ladies were who had taken Rose Cottage" the

title of Rectory had been transferred to the

Manor House.

On one pointall agreed" that they were in

every sense of the word" ladies,"and that

quitesatisfied the good Rector and his wife,

"who thought themselves fortunate in having

so unexpectedlygained good tenants for their

cottage, as well as agreeableneighbours.Some years have passed over the villageof

Longworth. The church has been restored,

schools have been established, and the

Rector, now a middle-aged man, is becomingVOL. I. H

98 EOTDENHCTRST.

slightlybald, wbicli his wife declares is amark of dignity,and that for her part she

much prefers '' a bald head in an elderly

man," as she persistsin callingthe Kector, to

a" bnshy head of hair."

'* What are you pondering over, John ? "

asked Mrs. Hartleigh,as she seated herself

beside her husband.

*" Why this,"handing her a paper. " Surelythe ladies have made a mistake ; they have

given me too much, it is only half a year's

rent that is due. I will call at the Cottage

this afternoon."

'*Well, that is easilysettled,"said his wife," and better than if they had not given yousufficient,especiallyfor the ladies, for now

they will find they are richer than they

thought. But come, John," she added play-fully,

''you know now, you are very glad of

an excuse to go down to the Cottage."" Well, Mary, yes ! I am interested in our

tenants there ; they are very superiorpeople.

ROTDENHURST. 99

Are they related to the Godfreys we met

abroad, I wonder ? "

"No," repliedMrs. Hartleigh,''for I one

day asked the eldest, and it struck me that

she did not like the question,so of course I

asked no more. But it is strange they neverallude to their former life or family. I am

sure there is some mystery."" Which you want to find out, Mary," said

the Rector. " Depend upon it,whatever the

mystery may be, there will be nothing to pre-ventour likingthem ; but rather it might in-crease

our sympathy. I have no doubt there

is some trial which has woven itself into the

earlylife of the eldest sister,and left its

shadows on her present life."

"Yes, I suppose that is it."

" I wish you would ask them, if you really

are going to the Cottage,John, to come this

evening. But I forgot, Mr. Courtleydines

here, does he not ? " asked Mrs. Hartleigh."Yes; but that need not prevent their

100 EOTDENHTJEST.

coming, Marj ! Courtley is just the man to

appreciate them. He will at once discover

their cultivated tastes."

" Then do ask them to come," she

replied.

"Yery well," said the Rector, as he

gathered up his papers." I'll tell them what

you say," and he left the room.

EOTDENHUEST. 101

CHAPTER Xy.

Thr sisters at Rose Cottagefelt that in adopt-ingthe name of '' Godfrey " they were not

entirelyabandoning their father's name.

Laura's girlhoodhad been spent under the

watchful eye of her sister,in the quiet

routine of home duties and pleasures,un-marked

by any great event until the death of

her father. She had now passed her six-teenth

year, and the child,to whom Jane had

acted a mother's part, had imperceptibly

grown into a sympathising, loving com-panion,

a sharer in all her hopes and

troubles.

It was diflScult to say what it was that

made Laura Godfrey so sweet-looking,for

she could not be said to possess any regular

102 EOTDENHUEST.

beauty. Her eyes were like her sister's,o"

a soft brown shade, with a very gentle ex-pression

; her hair, rich in colour, was always

exquisitelybraided round her well- shaped

head. She was tall for her age. Perhaps

her chief fascination was her manner, so free

from affectation,so pleasing,and always so

bright and cheerful ; she was altogethera

gracefullookinggirl." How could I make such a mistake ? and

how sorry I am that Mr. Hartleigh had the

trouble to come down about it," said Laura.

"Yes, I forgot it was only the half-year's

rent. Well, really,Jane, now I am sure we

shall have enough to take us to the sea " a

little change of air will do you so much

good."Jane Godfrey looked pale,and very much

as if a change of air would do her good ; but

having learnt from experience the mis-fortune

of not adhering to the old adage"" Be just before you are generous " " she

104 ROYDENHUEST.

tliat I should be manager, liousekeeper,and

banker ? Well, yesterdayI had a grand day

of bill-paying,and I paid Mr. Briggs,and

every bill,small or large,and now, let us see

what we have left."

" Yery little,Laura, I am afraid."

"No indeed, Jane, not so very little,"she

replied,counting the contents of a little bag." Five and five are ten, and ten, twenty.

Why, twenty pounds ! That surelywill be

enough for our trip! "

"You are, indeed, a most wonderful man-ager,

Laura, and it is a puzzle to me where

you have learnt the art."

" Oh, of course, I consulted Tims about

things,"she replied. " But don't you really

think now, Jane, we can afford this ex-cursion

? "

" Yes, dear, I think we shall be able to

manage it,and we will ask our kind friends

at the Eectory what nice places there are

within an easy distance."

EOYDENHURST. 1 05

" Mrs. Hartleightold us, if you remember,tlie other day, about Sea Cove. She said the

lodgings there were not expensive,and be-sides,

it will be so easy to get there, for she

^said there is a coach goes once a week," said

Laura.

" Then let us decide upon going to Sea

Cove, and we will take Tims with us. You

know her old home was somewhere in that

direction; so you may, Laura, tell her our

plans."'' Delightful! Dear old Tims ! how de-lighted

she will be."

And Laura quicklywent to look for '' old

Tims," as she called a very respectable,

motherly looking person who advanced to

"meet her.

Mrs. Tims was one of those good, old-

fashioned domestics so rarelymet with now.

She was born in the days of " no larning,"

as she often said, for excepting her Bible

{and from dailyhearing it read, she knew it

106 EOTDENHTJEST.

mostlyby rote) it might be said that shecould neither read nor write. But no one

had such a memory as Mrs. Tims ; she never

forgotanything,and it was wonderful when

she was sent into the town laden with all

sorts of commissions, how carefullyshe re-membered

them, and how accuratelyshe

reckoned up all the little money transactions.

Her purely unselfish devotion to the Miss

Godfreys (forthe name of Culverton wasdropped, even by her) was beautiful. That

they were deprived of the luxury and wealth

in which they had been brought up grievedher much, and seeing Jane sometimes look

sad and anxious, made her constantlybusyin devisinglittle comforts for them, it was

astonishing how this worthy Tims made

things appear to advantage in their humble

home. The small supply of plate was as

brightlykept as if the old butler still had

charge of it,and every little household orna-ment

which told of former days was guarded

by her jealouseye.

EOTDENHUflST. 107

Mrs. Tims could scarcelybelieve " Miss

Laura" when she told her of their plan,and

not until she had heard the fact from " Miss

Jane," could she at all take it in.

" Dear me 1 Onlj fancy! " said Tims,.''

why I shall be up near to where I was

born, and to think I shall see my sister and

brother, why, 'tis more than twenty yearssince I saw them last."

'' I am so very glad,Tims, to giveyou this

pleasure."" But, Miss Jane, I don't think you and

Miss Laura would be comfortable in a lodging

without me to mind for you, so perhaps,after

all, I had better not let them know I am

coming so near."" Oh, indeed,dear Tims," exclaimed Laura,

"

you shall go to your brother's, I will do

everythingthat I can to spare my sister anytrouble. It will quite spoil our pleasure,

Tims, if you do not go over to Redhill to

see your old home again."*' Thank you. Miss Laura " well " we will

108 EOTDENHUEST.

see about it ; for certain,I should like to see

tliem up there."

About a fortnightafter this conversation,

all preparationshad been duly made, and the

little party was ready for the expedition. The

coach usually started from the villageinn,

but thoughtful Tims had persuaded the

coachman to drive up to the Cottage door,

where the ladies were waiting." Why, Tims, wdiere is your luggage ? "

asked Laura.

" Here"

Miss"

" holding up a parcel.*' Oh, dear, how little it seems."

'' Because, Miss Laura, I thought to wear

my best frock (she always called her gowna frock) and I have only taken my two

mornings, for I shan't be cleaning house

like"

but here's the coach a-coming."

The Miss Godfreys took their placesinside,

and Tims mounting to the box, looked

supremely happy by the coachman's side.

They are soon out of the village,and away

EOTDENHURST. 109"

they go, up hill and down hill,leavingmile

after mile of country far behind them.

Jane is rather nervous at the fast driving,whilst Laura, lookingeagerlyout of the win-dow,

takes notice of everything,and the fresh

morning air brightensthe colour of her cheeks.

There is nothing in the way of travellinghalf so delightfulas the old stage coach and

four. The crack of the whip, the sound of

the horses' even tread on the hard turnpike

road, and above all,the famous horn, tellingthe little villagesthat the all-importantcoach

is coming, all combined to render it far more

conducive to health and spirits than the

present railwaytravelling.The country the coach passes through is

very pretty, but it is becoming bleaker ; pre-sentlythe coach stops to change horses,

when the coachman comes up to the window,

and touching his hat, says good naturedly"*' The old lady up by me wants very bad-

to know how the ladies is gettingon."

110 EOTDENHUEST.

"Very well, indeed, tliank you; are we

near the sea, now ?"

asks Laura.

" JN'ot quite yet. Miss, about twelve miles

further," he touches his hat again,mounts

the box, and they are off." Jane, I hope you are not very much

fatigued.""

'No, dear, thank you ; how fortunate we

are to have no fellow travellers."

Laura then produces her basket of sand-wiches

and wine and water, which greatly

revives them, and they are better able to look

about again with interest.

The villageschool is just out, away scamperthe children ; some running after the coach

and imitating the horn. Laura, who has

never seen the sea, is all eagerness to catch

sightof it." Oh, Jane ! look " there it is," at this

moment the coach provokinglydescends the

Ml, and they lose the view of the sea.

Laura endeavours for some